Allison Franks (Hobbit.Town Jewelry)

Friday, April 26, 2013

Long before we met (thanks to the Wear if You Dare & Dark Traders etsy teams) I had been an admirer of Slink's work! Her stuff is just crazy unique and creepy cool. So you can imagine how excited I was to get an opportunity to trade with her recently during out last team event. Seriously you have no idea. :)

Dena of Slink Skull Studios specializes in unique & bizarre clay jewelry, but her shop also features hand crotched scarves & cute resin accessories. I must say though from the very moment I found her shop I almost immediately found this necklace and knew right then that one day it HAD to be mine! Just look at this thing! How could anyone say no to that!

Much to my surprise, we ended up trading for it too! Now, I've done a lot of trades... but I still think this one (above all others) has gotten me the most excited! And honestly the photo doesn't do it justice either. This amazing creeper heart pendant is a bit chunky but the perfect size (a little over 2" in diameter), extremely detailed AND omg the eyes glow in the dark!! I seriously can't give it enouch praise. It's just the coolest thing ever! I've worn it countless times since it arrived. And it just goes splendidly with my favorite Basket Case t-shirt too. See??

Gosh it's just so cool! I desperately want to get some more of her stuff soon too. She's just got so many cool designs. This one is definitely next on my list though..

But I like this eyeball bracelet a lot too...

You just really need to check out this shop ok?? Because EVERYTHING in there is amazing.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

I have been a busy little bee recently making all KINDS of crazy cool stuff! I wanted to make sure I had more than enough items to take with me on the road this month and I certainly succeeded. I might have even made too many? NAH! You can never have too many pretties in one place. However, now that my show schedule is dying down I need to make some serious room for all the new stuff in my etsy shop! And my house for that matter. It's getting crowded in here! :)

So for the next week and a 1/2 I will be having a HUGE spring cleaning sale in my etsy shop! The goal is to sell as many things as possible between now and May 5th. This way I can make room for all the fantastic goodies I've been creating. I just can't wait to share them with you!! They are SO cool!

Just use this coupon code during check out for 20% off your entire order: SPRING 2013

And if you "like" my facebook page you'll get an extra bonus discount on all the new stuff! This will only be available to my facebook fans and friends though. So hurry up and "like" my page if you haven't already to get first dibs on all the new items before they hit etsy! Oh and if that's not enough of an incentive for you... I'm going to be doing my very 1st giveaway on facebook at the beginning of May!

Let's take a sneak peak at some of the awesome stuff I've been creating shall we?? I'm just so darn excited about them!!

Beetlejuice Earrings:

Spice Girls Hair Bows:

Crazy Joker Necklace:

And if you think those are cool just wait till you see the rest! This is just the tip of the iceberg folks! I've got so many more funky jewelry creations to show you featuring the likesof Dr. Who, My Little Pony, Sailor Moon, Pulp Horror Characters, Blythe Dolls etc. You are going to freak. Trust me. I've had a really hard time not keeping everything for myself! (haha)

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

As you all know, for the last month I've been raising money and accepting donations so I could participate in the recent RAW Austin Presents Marvel art show. And thanks to my beloved family, friends, and etsy fans I was able to reach my goal just in the nick of time! I was beyond ecstatic when I reached my goal and officially found out I could participate in the show last Thursday April 18th and still am! Seriously, thank you all so much! I couldn't have done this without you. You have no idea how much I appreciate your love and support.

And now it's the moment you've all been waiting for! So I'm going to stop building this up and start spilling the beans! ;)

I'm going to start out by saying.. I was extremely nervous the day of the show! At the beginning of the day, I was so focused on making as many more items as possible that we ended up arriving a little later to Austin than I would have liked to set up. Plus, the wind was insane when we arrived so that didn't help things either. In the midst of all that, I was pulled aside to do some professional photos (which turned out great!) and I can't wait to have delivered to me in a few weeks. Some are of just me and others are me with my work. The guy was flashing like a madman and I only saw two of them, but those looked great so I'm sure the other ones will to. Around the same time, I also got pulled aside to do a video interview. Now, I have NEVER done one of these before and am extremely weird around cameras... so on top of being stressed AND nervous I gotta say it didn't go too well. I'm hoping that I'm just over-reacting and the final product won't be as bad as I imagine... but I can't help but worry. I'm not very good with on the spot answers and I really wasn't prepared for a lot of those questions even though I know I probably should have been. Of course, I thought of the PERFECT answers later on after the interview... but not much can be done about that now! I'm trying to stay positive though and I keep reminding myself of what my mom told me later, "Just think of it as a practice run. If it sucks at least you can learn from your mistakes and know what to say next time." You know, I think she might have a point there. ;)

Anyways, after all that crazy stuff was finished I went back to my booth to finish setting up. During all this my AMAZING boyfriend Marcus was doing his very best to get everything arranged. He's really the best!

Just look at him!

I'm so unbelievably thankful that he could come out and help me. I really don't think I could have done it without him! There was a CRAZY amount of people coming by to look pretty much 24/7 so it would have been impossible to keep up with everyone on my own. Plus, he had my back when the wind came or if anyone looked "suspicious" (haha). And I gotta say he pimped that shit! It's funny, but he might even be better at selling than me. No joke. I was really surprised and happy about it. I'm really sociable once I get talking, but sometimes it's hard for me to push stuff on people. But he was there to back me up and it was great. I really got an awesome fella, did you know that? ;)

Anyways, the show went really well! By far the best one I've ever had and hopefully not the last. I made lots of sales, got lots of compliments and had plenty of people sign up for my upcoming giveaway at the end of the month. My only complaint was that as it got dark it was really hard to see my stuff! I actually broke out my phone a few times for "extra lighting". The venue said they'd provide lighting...which they did... but it wasn't very bright. That really didn't stop people from looking though. It's just that ALL the photos I took at the event are VERY dark. I forgot my real camera and had to use my phone.. so I apologize in advance.

Here's a few close up photos of my booth set up. I actually had two tables this time which worked out really nice. Helped me spread out more and showcase more products you know?

It's sad, but I didn't really get a chance to see much else of the event. Of course I did a quick walk through of the venue and checked out all the other artist's work/items, but I didn't get to catch much of anything else. I suppose I heard all of the live music.. just didn't actually see anyone perform. I just couldn't leave the table! That's how many people were there. It was like nonstop traffic which is awesome! I've never experienced that before, but it was a lot of fun. And I know I made a lot of ladies and gents REALLY happy.

This girl literally screamed when she saw my Sailor Moon necklace which put a HUGE smile on my face.

My Sailor Moon stuff was actually a big seller! And you know how I love my Sailor Moon... so I was beaming pretty much the whole night. It was just so awesome to see so many other fans all in one place! :)

And this girl went cuckoo for my xbox necklace. It was so cute!!

Probably my favorite customer of the night was this girl right here. She bought a lot of stuff and is actually going to hook me up with the local roller derby team in Austin. That's right. You guessed it!! I'm going to start making roller derby jewelry to sell at the Austin bouts. OMG excitement!! She totally rocked my eyeball sunflower too. How cool is that??

It's funny but we totally had a good 5 minute convo about The Cramps as she was trying to pay me for it too. And I'm so jealous that she got to see them live! No fair.

Overall RAW was a HUGE success for me and I look forward to possibly participating in another RAW event sometime in the future. And as you can clearly see I had A LOT of fun too! I met some really awesome people and got several exciting leads for selling my stuff locally in Austin! So that was worth it on it's own. I was totally EXHAUSTED by the time we got out though. Honestly, it didn't really hit me until I sat down. But we toughed it out and drove the 40 minute drive home.

I don't think I could have done it without greasy Steak n Shake burgers though! Yum yum!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as often this month, but I have been insanely busy! If you've read any of my earlier posts you already know that I have been touring the Texas area this month for art shows/markets. So far I've done 4 shows and have just one more to go before the month is through! And that's just April! I'm hoping to keep this up until the Fall, but this will probably be the only month that I do 5 shows. I'm just so exhausted! It's been very hard keeping up with etsy/eBay orders, custom requests, art shows on weekends AND working my regular job too. So yeah, I'm ready for a vacation. (haha)

Anyways, just figured I'd pop in and let you know what I've been up to. This week is serving as my "catching up" week since I don't have as much planned and I've already survived the two big shows of the month. At least I can "relax" a little bit now. ;)

I've got a lot of exciting stuff planned for the next few weeks that I can't wait to share with you. Of course I will be sure to tell you all about the two shows I attended last week very soon. Maybe even tomorrow! ;)
I'm still just insanely excited about the RAW Austin event that I managed to raise enough money for!! Man that was a blast! I've also got some exciting shop news to share with you regarding new items, my first official facebook giveaway and another exciting spring sale event! And I know I'm a few weeks behind on shop reviews/Saturday Shout Outs, but I've still got plenty of awesome shops/people to introduce you to.

Monday, April 15, 2013

As you guys know I've been touring around the central TX area with my jewelry since the beginning of the month. And this weekend I checked out the CRRC Spring Market Day in Canyon Lake, TX. If I had to honestly sum this event up in one word it'd be: AWFUL. I'm not kidding! This was the WORST event I've ever attended and the only show so far that I have not done well at. But I suppose you can't win 'em all...

I actually attended this event last fall and I had mixed feelings then, but after this weekend I officially do not like this venue and will not be returning. They say the 3rd time is the charm, but I honestly don't feel like it's worth my time. Last year, I got kind of a "weird" vibe from the customers overall, but still managed to have fun, meet some really nice people and make a lot of people happy with my jewelry. But this year there were half as many vendors and while this place advertised itself as a "handmade artisan show" I could tell about 90% of it was either mass produced or garage sale type quality. And I don't want to be associated with that!

But I did find this really cool dolly for only $2!! Isn't she pretty??

Looking on the bright side, I was happy to run into a few previous customers. And I also got them and a few other new faces to sign up for my upcoming giveaway (and newsletter!) so that's really awesome. At the very least, I'm happy I could run into them again! They are all very sweet people that really appreciate my work and that I believe will be long time customers which is always heart-warming and rewarding. I've always been more concerned with making customers happy as opposed to bringing in tons of $$$ each month. So I'm glad I could make a few more people smile that day! ;)

Thankfully, with their love and support I managed to break even, but I was astonished by the thrift seeking crowd. There was a little bit of that last year, but this year it was 90% of the attendees. I was very hurt by the astounding number of people that would come by, compliment my work, note that it was handmade and then ask me what they could get for a $1 or less! It was nuts you guys!! But I can't really blame them. With all the other vendors around me selling household junk and commercial goods it's to be expected. It just sends the wrong message you know? But it was still a major disappointment... At least this time I learned my lesson.

I'm looking on the bright side of it though. And as you can tell from the photos I didn't let any of that icky negative energy bring me down!

Plus!! I got to test out my FANTASTIC new pinkie pie bag!! I'm so excited about it!! It's just the right size to carry all my art stuff too. If only they had more I would have totally gotten a Rainbow Dash or Applejack one to carry the rest of my stuff. Then I'd really be traveling in style! Guess I'll just have to rely on those good old reliable paper bags until I can't find another one! :)

Friday, April 12, 2013

As I mentioned before I've got a busy schedule full of art shows and events this month. However, one of the shows I'd like to participate in called RAW Artists cost $300! And I just don't have that! For the last few weeks I have been accepting donations AND offering a FREE gift (of equal value) with every purchase in my etsy shop: www.hobbittownjewelry.etsy.com
And in addition to a FREE gift I've also been giving all customers who put "RAWARTISTS" in the comment box section of their invoice a 25% off coupon code for next time!

So far I've received an amazing response to this HOWEVER I still need to raise $100 before this Monday, April 15th at 5 PM. If I don't raise the money by then I will not be able to participate in this amazing event which will be broadcast live on a local Austin channel. This is a great opportunity for me to launch myself into the Austin scene and I so desperately want to participate. Won't you help me?

If you would like to send a donation to me directly please contact me either on facebook or my personal gmail account: hobbittown.jewelry@gmail.com

If you'd like to purchase a ticket to the event itself on Thursday April 18th in Austin, TX please do so here:https://www.rawartists.org/hobbittownjewelryTickets are $15 a piece and each ticket purchase will go towards my entry fee!
And finally, to show you guys just how much I love you I'm also going to be having a Spring Sale starting now until April 15th at 5PM in hopes of raising the rest of the money for this fantastic event. Only $100 to go! That should be easy enough right? Just use the coupon code: SPRING2013

Monday, April 8, 2013

This past weekend was my first show of the season and my biggest one to date! The Starving Artist's Art Show took place on April 6th & 7th (10AM-6PM) in downtown San Antonio, TX. I got SUPER lucky with my assigned spot which was not only in a great location on the strip, but also conveniently under a nice big tree. So no sunburns for me this weekend! Yahoo! I was actually quite worried about that...I don't have a canopy so it's just super pale me braving the sun. And this weekend got up to 90 degrees with non-stop sun and no winds! :( But that's Texas for ya. Thankfully, I brought sunscreen and my Sailor Moon umbrella so that helped out significantly.

Overall, the show was a HUGE success. I got lots of compliments on my items, gave away lots of cards, got plenty of people to sign-up for my new giveaway (I'm giving away a FREE $25 goodie bag to one very lucky person!), met some awesome new people/artisans, and most importantly made a lot of sales! I had a blast! It was so much fun. I simply can't wait to participate again next year and every year after that if I'm able. And who knows maybe by then I'll have a canopy! ;)

Here's a few photos of my booth set-up. I really wish I had another table handy so I could spread out some more. That's next on the list of things to buy! Gosh I feel like that's never ending. sigh* Anyways, I didn't have a camera the 1st day.. so all of these are from the 2nd day when I had less items, but you'll still be able to get the gist of things! I really should have taken more though.

I rocked it solo the 1st day but my super awesome fella was able to help me out on the 2nd day! He's so awesome. I could tell he felt a bit awkward trying to sell my frilly little pretties, but I was so happy he came out and helped. Honestly, after the first day I had a serious case of "t-rex arms" from hauling all that stuff out from the car and back so it was nice to have some help for that too. (haha) Maybe all these shows will finally help me get a little buff! I'm seriously lacking in upper body strength.

My dinosaur jewelry in particular was a HUGE success! Which makes me super happy. I just love dinosaurs and am always happy to find other people who like 'em as much as I do.

Next to me was another newbie named Irma who made some very unique art pieces mostly centered around Frida Kahlo and Mexican culture. I really liked her style though. Very simplistic and not true to form. Plus, there was a LOT of glitter and that is always fun. She was actually one of the very few people at this show who was around my age too. Weird huh? The majority of vendors here were much, much older. Anyways, she was fun to chat with throughout the day. And she bought a pair of stegosaurus earrings from me and wore them throughout the show which I thought was super cool!

I met a lot of really awesome and talented artist's at the show but my favorite was Alison of Deva Designs. We were most definitely kindred spirits. I saw her as the "grandma" version of myself. She was super kooky and made some very unique little hand-sewn creations. She did everything from clothing to jewelry too so there was lots of variety in her booth. My favorites were her little Deva dolls though. They were just so cute! We actually did a trade during the show too which was AWESOME! She just had to have these little rhinestone dinosaurs. Don't they look super cute on her??

Here's a photo of my new Deva Dolls! They are feng shui too. She gave me a little chart and everything. How cool is that? I didn't even know about all that when I picked them out, but apparently I am drawn to "career & fame" because I narrowed it down to 3 and they were all from that category! (haha) I decided on these two little guys and I plan to hang them in my office. So if I'm lucky they'll help keep me on the right track. ;)

Check out her super cute feng shui chart:

I'm super glad that I was able to participate in this event and hope the other one's I have coming up this month are just as fun. Hope you all had a fantastic weekend as well! ;)

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Hey everybody listen up! Market season is officially here! Which means starting this month I will be participating in local art shows and
events on most weekends until the fall season. And since I am a one woman operation, this may cause
some minor delays regarding processing & shipment for etsy orders placed
during events. If you need your items shipped by a certain date please
let me know. I can always rush deliver too if you'd like a shipping
upgrade. And don't forget custom orders are always welcome!

Wish me luck! I've got a full schedule right now and so much more to do. Plus, I've been making new items like crazy. It's been a blast! Can't wait to share everything with you. So many cute things have been coming out of my brain lately. It's been hard not to keep everything for myself. ;)

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Today I'd like to talk to you about another super awesome etsy store called Vital Madness!

I conveniently came across this shop a few months ago during a team trade event I was participating in with Wear If You Dare. And oh my god! I can't believe I hadn't seen her stuff before!! If you know me at all then you know I'm a HUGE Tank Girl fan. I love the cheesy movie and I've read ALL the comics. I even read her book! Man Martin & Hewlett are so kick ass for creating her. She's the closet thing to a "hero" I've ever had. I want to be her so badly! She's totally kick ass. Anyways, I'm getting off topic... Back to Vital Madness and her amazingly fun punk rock style jewelry. (haha)

So, if you couldn't guess already Vital Madness has a lot of awesome Tank Girl themed items. And as soon as I saw this I knew it had to be mine!

There just aren't enough words to accurately describe the awesomeness of this bracelet!! Seriously. I haven't stopped wearing it since I bought it. It was a little pricey...but totally worth every penny. It's loaded with cool charms including a tank, grenade, arrow, hatchet, handgun, machine gun and cigarettes! Plus, those handmade Tank Girl charms are amazing. The only catch is that it isn't water friendly. So, I gotta try and be extra careful about that when I wash my hands... which kinda sucks but that's just cause I'm super forgetful! I'll make sure to take extra special care of this one though. It's just too darn cool. ;)

Here's a picture of me modeling my new favorite bracelet:

The coolest part about this purchase is that I made a friend out of it too. Michelle of Vital Madness is a total sweetheart! I'm so happy we are teammates and got to meet because of the Wear If You Dare trade event back in January. Just look at these awesome Tank Girl magnets she made me as a bonus! They look so freakin' bad ass on my fridge!!

If you haven't heard of Vital Madness and are a fan of punk rock, skulls, studs and guns then you need to check it out like right now! Seriously, there's so many more things I want to get when I can afford them. Here's a few of my favorites:

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About Me

Hi there! My name is Allison Franks and I'm a craftoholic. (No, seriously)
I live for art, adventure, comics, and travel. But most of all I'm hopelessly addicted to creating totally bizarre jewelry that'll make people turn around and say, "Are those babies in frying pans on your ears?".
So I guess you could say I'm a 20-something small business owner living in Austin,TX with a BA in Anthropology. And I guess you could say I'm quite happy about that. But all that really matters is that I'm having the time of my life just being me!
If you'd like to learn more about me please add me as a friend! -
www.hobbittownjewelry.etsy.com www.facebook.com/hobbittown.jewelry